Rose on scent of win after a monster putt

AKRON (Ohio) • England's Justin Rose rolled in a 38-foot birdie putt at the par-four 18th hole to move into a tie for the lead with overnight pace-setter Jim Furyk after the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Saturday.

Rose, who has produced stellar form this year since finishing joint-second at the Masters in April, charged to the top with a sizzling seven-under 63 at the Firestone Country Club.

The world No. 8 birdied four of the last six holes in a bogey-free display to finish at nine-under 201, level with American Furyk. The latter did well to sink a par putt from 11 feet on the final green for a 69.

"To knock that ball in on the last, it was a nice bonus for sure," Rose told reporters after celebrating his monster putt on the 18th green.

"My game's in good shape. If I look back at Augusta, that was the start of me feeling very confident."

Rose won his seventh PGA Tour title in New Orleans in April. He has recorded five top-10s on the US PGA circuit this season, including a play-off loss at the Memorial Tournament in June and a tie for sixth at last month's British Open.

"If I keep knocking on that door, I feel good," said the 35-year-old Englishman. "The only tournament I feel like I've let slip this year is Memorial."

Ireland's Shane Lowry, seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, was alone in third place at seven-under. He carded a five-birdie 67 at the elite World Golf Championships event.

Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth, who had been six strokes off the pace overnight, tumbled down the leaderboard as he struggled to a two-over 72. It included a double-bogey at the last.

"Very frustrating today," said the American. "It was a poor performance. Didn't have very good control of the ball.

"I putted it okay but, other than that, very much struggled.

"I'm going to need to look for some answers tomorrow and into next week," said Spieth, referring to the year's final major, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. REUTERS

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 10, 2015, with the headline 'Rose on scent of win after a monster putt'. Print Edition | Subscribe

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